A Thompson Township woman allegedly shot and killed her husband on Friday night in the kitchen of their mobile home, but she claims she acted in self-defense.
Rita P. Greifenstein, 66, was charged with voluntary manslaughter in Chardon Municipal Court on Tuesday morning. Judge Terri L. Stupica set Greifenstein’s bond at 10 percent of $15,000. Should she post bond, she also cannot leave Geauga County without permission.
After the hearing, Geauga County Public Defender R. Robert Umholtz said the seemingly low bond amount for a first-degree felony is due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the incident.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Geauga County Sheriff Daniel McClelland said when deputies responded to 17748 Rock Creek Road Lot 33 at 10:42 p.m., they found Peter Greifenstein, Rita’s 68-year-old husband, dead on scene.
Based on evidence at the scene, McClelland said a verbal argument had been taking place for a few hours.
“At some point, that argument turned physical,” he said.
Officials determined Peter Greifenstein was struck in the chest by a single shot fired from a .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun. While neither of the Greifensteins had a concealed carry license for the gun, that does not necessarily mean the gun was in the home illegally, McClelland said.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz responded to the scene.
While being questioned by police, Rita Greifenstein claimed she acted in self-defense, said Flaiz.
“There was some evidence at the scene that corroborated her story, which is why I asked the Sheriff’s Department to file, at least initially, charges for voluntary manslaughter, because there did appear to be some issue of provocation,” he said.
After calling 911, she told the dispatcher, “I shot my husband… In the kitchen, he was hitting me with a pan.”
Later during the call, she said her husband hit her several times and that she could feel welts on her head. She also claimed the two would fight “all the time.”
“He gets physical with me. I just try to stay away from him,” she said. “He’s always threatening me. Usually just shoving and stuff like that.”
She also said that the gun was in the kitchen and another gun was locked in a closet.
While not commenting on what specifically Rita Greifenstein has said to investigators, Flaiz said her statements have been consistent with the 911 call.
McClelland would not say if there was a history of domestic violence between the couple, but he did confirm authorities had interacted with the couple in the past.
The voluntary manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison. The grand jury will determine whether there is probable cause for a felony indictment against Rita Greifenstein. This means the indictment could be more or less serious than the current charge, or the grand jury could decide not to indict her at all, Flaiz said.
“This is a tragic event. It will impact a lot of people,” added McClelland. “Our investigation needs to continue so we can answer many of the questions… through forensics, through the evidence, through additional interviews and information that we’re able to obtain to accurately determine what took place there.”

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